Sparda (Devil Arm)
The Sparda and its unawakened form, the Force EdgeDevil May Cry, Devil Arms — Force Edge: "A memento of Dante's father, Sparda.", is the beloved demon-forged sword''Devil May Cry 2, '''Weapon File — Sparda': "The Dark Knight's beloved sword."Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Combat Adjudicator — Force Edge: "I am the combat adjudicator. Only a demon-forged blade can move me." wielded by the The Dark Knight Sparda himself''Devil May Cry, '''Devil Arms — Sparda': "It's the true form of the Force Edge, the sword wielded by the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda.", and magically imbued with his power.Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Devil Arms File — Force Edge: "A sword magically imbued with Sparda's power. A powerful sword with great hidden potential." Throughout the series, the sword is recognized as a source of god-like power, and in both Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4, it was the main objective of the villains. It is Dante's default weapon in Devil May Cry, and Trish's in Devil May Cry 2. Story Prelude The Sparda was originally wielded by Sparda himself, but when he closed the gate between the Human and Demon Worlds, he also sealed his demonic power inside his beloved sword in order to ensure the strength of the seal. Sparda also created the Perfect Amulet from it, causing the sword's own natural powers to fall asleep and become the Force Edge. Devil May Cry 3 Many centuries later, however, Arkham conspires to obtain the sword, and thus, Sparda's power, which he would use to rule the world. He manages to manipulate Dante, Vergil, and Lady into allowing him to obtain the Perfect Amulet and opening the gate to the Netherworld for him, thus allowing him to both acquire the sword and awaken its power. After drawing the sword, he takes the form of Sparda, but because it does not resonate with him, he is unable to control its immense power and mutates into a hideous, blob-like form''Devil May Cry 3, '''Vergil': "You should come to realize you cannot control the power of Sparda.", which is quickly slain by Dante and Vergil. As Arkham's demonic form dissolves, the Force Edge and Perfect Amulet fall into the Netherworld, and Dante and Vergil both dive after them. They fight over the weapon, and though Vergil is defeated, he keeps his half of the amulet with him. Dante returns to the Human World with the Force Edge. Devil May Cry Dante takes up the Force Edge as his own sword, and takes it with him to the castle on Mallet Island. There, he periodically encounters the demon Nelo Angelo, who is mysteriously shaken when he notices Dante's part of the amulet. After Nelo Angelo is finally defeated and revealed as Vergil, Dante obtains the other half of the amulet and the Sparda is reawakened. It later allows him to take Sparda's form in the final battle with Mundus. Afterwards, Dante plants the sword as a memorial to the seemingly dead Trish, but Trish is later revealed to be alive, and Dante allows her to use the blade as her own. Devil May Cry 4 Years later, Dante and Trish hang the Sparda on the wall of Dante's shop. After Lady explains the problems she is having with the Order of the Sword to Dante and Trish, Trish takes the sword and leaves without asking Dante's permission. She disguises herself as Gloria, and gives the Sparda to Sanctus in order to win his trust and infiltrate the Order. Sanctus later uses the weapon against Nero, though his inhumanity does not allow him to fully control it. After Nero defeats Sanctus and rescues Kyrie, he gives the Sparda back to its rightful owner, Dante. Gameplay Devil May Cry The Force Edge is Dante's default weapon in Devil May Cry. It is relatively weak compared to the Alastor. When awakened, the Sparda has the uncanny ability to shift forms, from sword to spear to scythe. The Sparda changes into a spear when using Stinger or Million Stab, and it changes to a scythe when using Round Trip. Devil May Cry 2 In Devil May Cry 2, the Force Edge replaces the Rebellion for Dante's Devil May Cry costume. It behaves exactly the same as the Rebellion. Devil May Cry 3 In the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Vergil uses the Force Edge in conjunction with the Yamato. Dante does not get to weild the Force Edge or Sparda in his scenario, but the Force Edge replaces the Rebellion for Dante's Devil May Cry and "Legendary Dark Knight" costumes. It behaves exactly the same as the Rebellion, except that it changes all of Dante's Devil Trigger forms to that of Sparda. ''Devil May Cry 4'' Sparda is weilded exclusively by Sanctus during his final fight against Nero in Devil May Cry 4. During the fight, he will use the Sparda as a shield, to slash at Nero, or to charge at at Nero. The charging attack is the most powerful, but it can be countered with Buster. Movesets ''Devil May Cry'' ''Devil May Cry 2'' Sword (Trish) ''Devil May Cry 3'' Devil Arm (Vergil) Gallery Burning Sparda.jpg|An image of the Sparda with a burning aura Trish.JPG|An artwork of Trish in holding the Sparda DANTE DMC1(2) DEMONIO SPARDA.jpg|Sparda's Devil Trigger as a playable character from the first game Other Appearances *In the popular fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, the awakened Sparda is used by Trish, and Vergil uses the Force Edge in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. *In Sengoku Basara, Sanada Yukimura's (Scorpio in Devil Kings) sixth weapon is two Sparda swords. Along with the Sparda, Yukimura/Scorpio is equipped with the Ifrit as arm guards. Trivia *The Summoned Swords in Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3 appear as spectral versions of the Force Edge. *In the epilogue cutscene of Devil May Cry, Trish is shown wielding the Sparda at the same time Dante wields the Force Edge. *According to Enzo Ferino in the Devil May Cry manual, Dante calls the Force Edge "Woozy." * The awakened Sparda bears a strong resemblance to the demonic sword Soul Edge from the Soul Calibur series. *Among all the weapons in the series, the Sparda has the highest number of known wielders (Sparda, Arkham, Vergil, Dante, Trish, Sanctus, and Nero). It is right above the Yamato. *In the prologue cutscene of Devil May Cry 4, the Scarecrow blade that Nero steals looks like a rusted Sparda sword. Also, Nero's shadow on a wall while carrying the Scarecrow blade is interestingly changed into Sparda's shadow carrying the awakened Sparda sword as the camera pans close to it. Notes and references See Also *The Dark Knight Sparda *Perfect Amulet *Summoned Swords